Adjunct Faculty, Library Services
Learn about the history of the United States of America
Our U.S. history guide focuses on a selected set of information resources best suited for meeting the research needs of Oakton College students and faculty. Use it as a starting point. Each of the tabs helps you find a specific kind of information about your topic. Contact an Oakton reference librarian for additional research assistance.
CREDIT: Native American chiefs Frank Seelatse and Chief Jimmy Noah Saluskin of the Yakima tribe posed, full-length, standing, facing front, with the U.S. Capitol behind them. 1927. Prosperity and Thrift: The Coolidge Era and the Consumer Economy, 1921-1929. American Memory. Lib. of Congress. 9 July 2012 <http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3b39163>.
Overview
- Themes in U.S. History (American History Online)
To allow students a clear focus on and a broad understanding of the key themes that drove American political, cultural, and social development, American History Online presents 26 themes organized around such critical subjects as agriculture, demographics, economics, daily life, government, religion, science and technology, war, and women. While broad in scope, this collection analyzes each theme in depth by century, in order to offer students the dual advantage of focusing in one era on a particular theme, and then examining that theme across the full reach of American history.
Need a U.S. history research topic? You'll find a list of linked resources here.
Munk One, A., Amplifier, S. & Amplifier, P. (2020) We the Future - Build Communities. , 2020. [Seattle: Amplifier] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021635608/
- Topic Centers (American History Online)
American History Online's Topic Centers gather and organize articles, primary sources, images, videos, and news under a range of high-interest curricular topics.
Categories include: America at War; Daily Life in America; Decades and Eras; Early America; Foreign Affairs; U.S. Government; Multicultural America; and Society and Social Issues.
Need a U.S. history research topic? You'll find a list of linked resources here.
O'Halloran, T. J., photographer. (1957) Three African American women at a polling place, one looking at a book of registered voters on November 5, in New York City or Newark, New Jersey / TOH. United States, 1957. [5 Nov] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2015651653/.
ou can find additional U.S. history-related information in the Research Guides shown below.
- About the United States & its government
Have a question about the USA? Learn where to find answers to the most requested facts about the United States of America. History and political science students should look over sections covering data & statistics, laws, branches of government, government agencies, elected officials, military, budget, money & taxes, voting & elections, and history.